Courses

CLAS 201 (3)Classical MythologyThe more important classical myths read in English translations of Greek and Latin authors; their expression in ancient literature; what myth is, what it is for, how myths work and what they reveal about the history, culture and values of the society that used them. V2

CLAS 205 (3)Ancient GreeceThis course will survey ancient Greek literature, history and philosophy starting from Homer and Sappho and ending with Euripides and Plato. All works will be studied in their historical and cultural contexts and there will also be consideration of major developments in Greek art and architecture. Much of the focus will be on the political and cultural achievements of 5th century Athens. Key issues will include the beginnings of democracy, the rise of literacy and the birth of philosophy, and the development of tragedy, comedy and historiography. V1, V

CLAS 206 (3)Greeks and the OtherThis course will examine Greek conceptions of self and other as seen through a wide range of literary and historiographical texts, as well as material and textual evidence left by the culturally disenfranchised (e.g., curse tablets). Topics will include death, the position of women, resident aliens, the construction of the "barbarian" and the status of slaves. Authors read will include Herodotus, Thucydides, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. V1, V

CLAS 207 (3)The Rise and Fall of the Roman RepublicThis course covers the history, literature and culture of the Roman people from the period of Etruscan influence to the end of the Republic and beginning of the reign of the first emperor Augustus (7th-1st century B.C.). Primary emphasis will be on the last century of the Republic, the "Roman Revolution" from 133 to 31 B.C., which also saw the flowering of classical Latin literature and culture. Attention will be given to the influence of Etruscan and, especially, Greek culture on the development of Roman civilization, particularly in the areas of literature, religion, art and political thought. Authors read include Plautus, Terence, Livy, Catullus, Cicero and Sallust. Offered alternate years. V1, V

CLAS 208 (3)Society and Culture in the Roman EmpireThis course looks at the history, literature and culture of the Roman world from the reign of Augustus to the end of Roman rule in the West (31 B.C.-476 A.D.). The course will be divided into three parts: (1) a survey of political and cultural developments under the Julio-Claudian and Flavian emperors; (2) Roman culture at the height of the Empire, focusing on some of the most important aspects of Roman social and civic life (slavery, women and the family, law, religion and art); (3) the rise of Christianity, from the 2nd century to the end of the 4th century. Attention will also be given to the diversity of cultures found within the limits of the Roman Empire, and the legacy of Roman civilization to later European and Mediterranean cultures. Authors read include: Vergil, Ovid, Tacitus, Suetonius and Apuleius. Offered alternate years. V1, V

CLAS 211 (3)Roman Archaeology and ArtThis course will cover Roman material culture (art and architecture) including its roots in Etruscan architecture and sculpture (8th-6th century B.C.), the development of portraiture during the Republic, the art and architecture of the Roman Empire (including Pompeii) and the art and architecture of the Constantinian period (4th c. A.D.). Included will be readings and discussions regarding the problems of chronology and dating of ancient artifacts, as well as the use of ancient literary sources to place artifacts in their context. Students will do a project utilizing Sweet Briar's classical antiquities collection. Offered alternate years. This course may be counted towards the minor in archaeology. V1, V6

CLAS 219 (3)Ancient Philosophers in ContextThis course focuses on the historical and cultural contexts in which ancient philosophy was practiced, while also tracing various themes throughout the ancient philosophical tradition. Major differences between modern and ancient notions of the philosophical method and way of life are also considered. Course readings wil come from the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicureans, Romans and late- antique philosophers. This course may also be counted toward the major in philosophy. V1

CLAS 224 (3)Greek Novel: Text and ContextIn this course we will explore the emergence of the Greek novel during the Roman Empire and the cultural context that produced this nascent genre. Through tales of true love, romance, faked deaths and encounters with pirates, we will investigate questions of genre, gender and status, as well as examine the nature of Greek life and literature under Roman rule. V2

CLAS 261 (1)Directed StudyThe study of introductory-level material by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.

CLAS 307 (3)Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient MediterraneanStudy of the cultural constructs of sex and gender as seen in the literature, law and material culture of Greek and Roman societies (including Egypt and the Near East in the Greco-Roman period). Explores societal stereotypes regarding women's abilities and behavior and the strategies devised by women in response to those stereotypes. Attitudes toward marriage and the family, homosexuality and fertility control will also be treated. Emphasis will be on interpretation of ancient texts, literary, legal and documentary (all in English translation) and current scholarship. Topic and time period will vary. Offered alternate years. This course can be counted as a core course toward the minor in women and gender studies. V5

CLAS 315 (3)The Later Roman Empire: Law, Relgion, and SocietyThis course looks at the Roman Empire from the 3rd through the 5th century, the time of "decline and fall" which saw the triumph of Christianity and the disintegration of the western half of the Empire into regional, "barbarian" states. Emphasis will be on the social and religious changes the Roman world saw, and readings will include selections from the legal sources and Christian writings that survive this period. Offered alternate years. IIIW, V

CLAS 318 (3)Topis in Classical CultureThis course investigates themes and issues in classical civilization, drawing from a wide variety of sources including literary, philosophical and historical writings, inscriptions, papyri and artistic modes of production (e.g. vase paintings, sculpture, etc.). Topics will vary, monarchy to the Imperial epoch. The expansion of Rome with future topics including the paradoxical status of gladiators in imperial Rome; Greek conceptions of the grotesque; and ideas of death, commemoration and the afterlife. V2

CLAS 361 (1)Special StudyThe study of an intermediate-level topic by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.

CLAS 372 (3)Senior Honors Thesis

CLAS 377 (1)Internship

CLAS 452 (3)Senior SeminarThe departmental senior exercise, required of all majors (classical civilization, Greek and Latin) and open to other qualified students by permission. It involves intensive study of an author, period, genre or topic not covered, or only partially covered, by regular course offerings. Topics will vary from year to year. IIIO, III

CLAS 461 (1)Independent StudyPursuit of an upper-level research project determined in advance by the student in consultation with a faculty member who will act as the sponsor.